Baling press



Nov. 24, 1931.

A. c. BARROWS ET AL 1,832,960

BALING PRESS Filed Feb. 5, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 24, 1931. A. c.BARROWS ET AL BALING PRESS Filed Feb. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 QM M V Q0Nov. 24, 1931 A. c. BARROWS ET AL 1, 9

BALING PRESS Filed Feb. 5. 1927 s Sheets-Sheet '3 awuzwto o 37 fii/ora6. 562*7'0W5' as, 6e0re M law 0m.

Jamas 19. Barby Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFnca ALFORDG. BARROWS, GEORGE W. LANGFORD, AND JAMES I). BURBY, OFIANN ARBOR,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS T ECONQMY'BALER COMPANY, OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, ACORPORATIONO-F MICHIGAN l v I i i V BALING rnnss Application filedFebruary 3, 19?. Serial l To. 165,653.

The invention relates to baling presses and has for some of its objectsthe provision of means for automatically stopping the compressingmovement ofthe movable platen when the pressure at either of'its endsreaches a predetermined limit; the provision of means for automaticallystopping the compressing movement of the movable platen when thecombined pressure at itsends reaches a predetermined limit; theprovision of mechanism for driving the movable platen at difit'erentspeeds including a flexible driving connection at each speed and meanscontrolled by each flexible driving connection for automaticallystopping the driving mechanism; the provision of an improved arrangementof driving wheel upon the frame of the press; and the provision of animproved flexible connection between the driving wheel and the movableplaten. Other objects are to provide an upstroke baling press in'whichthe movable platen may be advanced at difiercut rates of speed duringits travel and auto-- matically held in its adjusted positions, and toprovide for locating an upstroke baling press in a pit and at the sametime locating the parts of the driving mechanism which might be affectedbywater above the pit. With these as well asother objects in view, theinvention resides in the novel' features of construction andcombinations and arrangements of parts as more fully hereinafter setforth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation partlyin sec-i tion of abaling press embodying our invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view partly in section and with the electric motorremoved and the wiring and electric motor shown diagram matically; V I aFigure 3 isa crosssection on the line 33 press although it is apparentthat our invention in some of its aspects is equally applicable to othertypes of baling presses such as a downstroke baling press. In anupstroke baling press in which the movable platen is movedupwardly tocompress the material, the height of the baling chamber of the press isnecessarily relatively great inasmuch as the material' must becompressed upon one stroke of the platen instead of by a number ofstrokespa's in the case'of a downstroke baling press." As shownin thedrawings, the upstroke baling press has thebaling chamber 1 having anupper open end through which the material to be compressed may beinserted. The upper portion of the baling chamber is provided with thehinged doors 2 which may be locked in closed position by suitablelocking mechanism 3 during theconipressing of the material and maybeswung to open position after the material has been compressed to providefor tying the bales and removing the same. 4 is the lower platen and 5the upper platen, thelatter being carried by the rolls 6 upon the tracks7 and being transversely movable relative to the baling chamber topositions either closing or able upwardly within the baling chamber whenthe latter is in closed position to compress the material within thebaling chamber. Inasmuch as the upstroke of the lower platen 4 isnecessarily relatively great, we have provided means for driving thislower platenat different speeds duringits upward travel. Furthermore,the driving mechanism is so located that the parts thereof which mightbe damaged by water are located upon the frame of the baling press'abovethe top of the top of the pit or the floor level being preferablyslightly below the lower ends of the of Figure 1. doors 2, v In detail,8 is an electric motor In the present instance we have shown our whichis supported upon the auxiliary frame invention as applied to anupstroke baling 9 at the upper end of the frame of the ballng the pitinto which the balingpressextends,

opening the same and the former being mov--' press. 10 is irreversibledrive mechanism also mounted at the upper end of the baling press frameand so constructed that the driving member can drive the driven memberbut the driven member cannot drive the driving member. This irreversibledrive mechanism comprises the aligned worm shafts 11 and 11 which extendlongitudinally of and above the upper end of the baling chamber and aresuitably journaled upon the baling press frame, the worms 12 fixed uponthe worm shafts and located near and preferably beyond the ends of thebaling chamber and the worm wheels 13 meshing with the worms and locatedbelow the same. Each worm wheel 13 is connected by suitable gearing to achain sprocket 14 which is located beyond the end of the baling chamber.The chain sprockets are connected by the chains 15, to the ends of thebeam 16 carrying the lower platen 4. For driving the worm shafts 11 and12 simultaneously and at different speeds according to the degree ofcompression of the material, we have )rovided the coupling 17telescoping over tie adjacent ends of the worm shafts and suitablynon-rotatably connected thereto as by means of keys. e have alsoprovided the driving sprockets 18 and 19 fixed upon the driving shaft 20which as shown is directly connected to the po ver shaft of the electricmotor 8. 21 and 22 are driving sprocket chains respectively running overthe driving sprockets 18 and 19 and also the driven sprockets 23 and 24.The latter have different numbers of teeth and are freely journaled uponthe worm shaft 11. 25 is a driven clutch member non-rotatably mountedupon the worm shaft 11 as by being keyed thereto and located bet-weenthe driving clutch members 26 and 27 respectively upon the drivensprockets 23 and 24 and 28 is a suitable lever for longitudinallyshifting the driven clutch member upon the worm shaft to alternativelyen age the driving clutch members.

TVith the arrangement as thus far described, the lower platen may bemoved upward during the first portion of its travel at a comparativelyhigh rate of speed at which time the driving is accomplished through thedriving sprocket 19, driving sprocket chain 22 and driven sprocket 24.The driven clutch member 25 may then be shifted longitudinally of theworm shaft 11 to bring thisclutch member into engagement with thedriving clutch member 26 at which time upward travel of the lower platenis continued at a slower rate of speed through the driving sprocket 18,the driving sprocket chain 21 and the driven sprocket 23. During theshifting of the driven clutch member, the ir-. reversible drivemechanism holds the lower platen in its adjusted position.

To. provide for the necessary diameter and size of the chain sprockets.14, forming the driving wheels for the chains 15 and at the same time toprovide for a compact arrangement at each end of the baling press, wehave arranged the chain sprockets 14 with their axes of rotationparallel to the ends of the baling chamber. This is accomplished byextending the worm wheel shafts 29 transversely of the baling pressframe and extending the same from the front to the rear of the balingpress. The rear ends of these shafts have secured thereto the pinions 30which mesh with the gear wheels 31 secured to the rear ends of theshafts 32 upon which the chain sprockets 14 are secured, the shafts 32extending parallel to the shafts29 and the chain sprockets being securedto the shafts 32 intermediate their ends and preferably at thetransverse central portion of the baling press. The chains 15 enga cablewith these sprockets are made flat an extend parallel to the ends of thebaling chamber.

To provide an economical construction of chain 15 it is made to haveportions of varying strength so arranged that these portions will takecare of the varying stresses to which they are subjected during thecompressing of the material. As shown, each chain has the lower portion33 which is formed of the greatest number of strands, there being fivein the present instance, the upper portion 34 which has the least numberof strands, there being one in the present instance, and theintermediate portion 35 having an intermediate number of strands, therebeing three in the present instance. Each chain sprocket 14 is amultiple sprocket arranged that the middle sprocket section isengageable by the middle strand forming the upper portion 34 of thechain, this middle sprocket section with the adjacent sprocket sectionsbeing engageable with the strands forming the intermediate portion 35 ofthe chain and all of the sprocket sections being engageable with thestrands forming the lower portion 33 of the chain. Upon the beginning ofthe upward movement of the lower platen 4 the load to which the platenis subjected is the minimum and at this time the chains which areconnected to tl e ends of the lower platen have their weakest portions34 engaging their driving sprockets and doing the work. Upon continuedupward movement of the lower platen the load to which it is subjected isincreased and at this time the intermediate portions 35 of the chainsare doing the work. During the final portion of the upward movement ofthe lower platen when the load to which this platen is subjected is the.greatest, the lower portions 33 of the chains, which are the strongest,are doing the work.

For positively returning the lower platen to its lowermost position, wehave provided the idler wheels 36 and the flexible cables 37 whichlatter are connected to the ends of the chains. and extend around theidler Wheels. These idlers. wheels are mounted upon the shafts 38, theends of which are journaled in the bearings 39 vertically adjustable inthe frame of the baling press to maintain the ,propertension ofthe'cables and chains. The vertical adjustment is ef fected by thesetscrews 4O abutting the bearings and threadedly engaging the brackets41 secured to the frame.

For the purpose of protecting the driving mechanism at either end of thebaling press in the event that either end of the movable platen issubjected to too great stress as by reason of uneven distribution of thematerial being compressed or the inadvertent throwing of a solid bodyinto either end of the baling chamber or the catching of either end ofthe platen or its beam, we have provided means for automaticallystopping the compressing movement of the platen when the pressure ateither of its ends reaches a predetermined limit. The control mechanismis the same at both ends of the baling press and makes use of the worm12. In detail, 42 is an end thrust bearing at the outer end of the wormshaft and extending through the housing for the worm. The outer end ofthis end thrust bearing engages the lever 43, one end of which ispivoted at 44 upon the housing and the other end of which engages thefulcrum bearing 45 upon the lever 46. The fulcrum bearing is locatednear the end of the lever 46 which is pivoted at 47 upon the frame ofthe baling press. The other or free end of the lever 46 is connected tothe pull rod 48 which, as shown, extends parallel with the worm shaftand is guided in the inner and outer brackets 49 and 50 respectively,both of which are secured to the housing. 51 is a coil springsurrounding the pull rod and abutting the outer bracket 50 and thewasher 52 which is adjustable longitudinally of the pull rod by the nut53 threaded upon this pull rod. By reason of this arrangement, thecompression of the coil spring 51 may be varied to normally hold thepull rod 48 from longitudinal movement and consequently normally holdthe worm shaft and its worm from longitudinal movement. Furthermore, theleverage is such that the coil spring may be relatively small. 54 is arock arm of the switch having a contact member 55 adapted to bridge theterminals 56 and 57 of the wiring. This rock arm is engageable by thecam 58 preferably threaded upon the pull rod 48 and held in adjustedposition by the nut 59 also threaded upon the pull rod. 60 is a coilspring for yieldably forcing the rock arm against the cam 58. With thisarrangement it will be seen that if the pressure exerted upon either endof the movable platen reaches a predetermined limit which is controlledby the coil spring 51 the worm shaft will move longitudinally outward byreason of the worm traveling relative to the Worm wheel, and

this outward longitudinal movement will through the end'thrust bearing42, lever v43, lever 46, pull rod 48 and cam 58 swing the rock arm 54 ofthe switch to open the circuit of the electric motor 8, thereby stoppingth press.

Wehave also provided means for stopping the compressing movement of themovable platen when the combined pressure at the ends of thismovablefplaten reaches a predetermined limit. This means includes therock arms 61of switches normally closing the electric motor circuit,these rock arms being built similar to the rock arm 54 and there beingone rock arm for each speed drive mechanism so that the press may beautomatically stopped regardless of the speed at which it is beingdriven. For operating the rock arms we provide means which is dependentupon the tightness of the flexible driving chain 21 or the flexibledriving chain 22 depending upon which is doing the driving. These means.are separate and each comprises a rock arm 62 having one end engageablewith a rock arm 61 and the other end provided with an idler sprocket 63for engaging, the driving side'of the chain. 64 is a coil spring havingone end engaging the rock arm 62 and the other end engaging the abutment65, this coil spring yieldably holding the .idler sprocket 65 againstthe chain and in position such that the rock arm permits the rock arm ofthe switch to maintain the circuit closed. For varying the force withwhich the idler sprocket is held against the chain, we have providedthe'set screw 66 whichthreadedly engages the bracket 67 and abuts theabutment65, this set screw thus determining the pressure that must beexerted by the driving side of the driving chain to swing the rock arm62'to open the circuit of the electric motor and stop furthercompressing movement .of the movable platen.

What we claim asour invention is 1. Ina baling press, the. combinationof a baling chamber, a platenv movable within said chamber to compressthe material therewithin, and means for actuating said platen includingdrive wheels at the upper end of said chamber and chains extendingbetween said drive wheels and platen and having portions thereofprovided with different numbers of strands to take care of the varyingloads to which they are subjected during the coinpressing. of thematerial.

2. In an upstroke baling press, the combination of a baling chamber ofrelatively great height, a platen movable within said chamber tocompress the material within said chamber, mechanical means for actuat:ing said platen including multiple drive sprocket wheels, and chainsconnected to said platens and engaging said sprocket wheels, said chainshaving portions thereof formed of different numbers of strands to takecare of the stresses to which they are subjected during the compressingof the material.

3. In a baling press, the combination of a balin g chamber, a platenmovable within said chamber to compress the material therewithin, meansfor driving said platen including change speed mechanism, and meansoperated by said change speed mechanism to automatically stop saiddriving means when the total pressure to which said platen is sub jectedreaches a predetermined limit.

4. In a baling press, the combination of a baling chamber, a platenmovable within said chamber to compress the material therewithin, meansfor driving said platen including change speed mechanism having aflexible drive connection for each speed, and means controlled by eachflexible drive connection for automatically stopping the driving meanswhen the total pressure to which said platen is subjected reaches apredetermined limit.

5. In a baling press, the combination of a baling chamber, a platenmovable within said chamber to compress the material therewithin, meansfor driving said platen including an electric motor and change speedmechanism having a driving chain for each speed, a switch for eachdriving chain controlling the motor circuit, and means engageable withthe driving side of each driving chain for opening the respectiveswitch.

6. In a baling press, the combination of a baling chamber, a platenmovable within said chamber to compress the material therewithin, meansfor driving said platen including an electric motor, change speedmechanism, and members connected to the opposite ends of said platen andoperated from said change speed mechanism; means for normally closingthe motor circuit, and means for automatically opening the motor circuitdependent upon the pressure to which either end of said platen issubjected and the total pressure to which said platen is subjected.

7. In a baling press, the combination of a baling chamber, a platenmovable within said chamber to compress the material therewithin, aflexible member connected to said platen and having portions thereofprovided with different numbers of strands to compensate for the varyingloads to which they are subjected during the compressing of thematerial, and means for actuating said flexible member including aplurality of drive wheels corresponding in number to the number ofstrands and engageable with each of the latter when the platen is in aposition wherein the material is compressed.

8. In a baling press, the combination of a baling chamber, a platenmovable within said chamber to compress the material therewithin, achain connected to said platen and formed of a plurality of strandsprogressively increasing in number to compensate for the varying loadsto which thechain issuhtures.

ALFORD C. BARROWS. GEORGE W. LANGFOR-D. JAMES D. BURBY.

